The effect of hydrogen desorption kinetics on thermionic emission from polycrystalline chemical vapor deposited diamond

Abstract

Hydrogen influences many properties of diamond films, such as invoking negative electron affinity, inducing increased electron emission from diamond thermionic emitters. However, the thermionic emission diminishes at temperatures exceeding 750 °C. In this work, we observed the isothermal thermionic emission decrease followed first-order rate kinetics. Arrhenius examination indicated an activation energy consistent with values for the H-C bond at the surface derived from other works. Results obtained in this study establish a direct link between the presence of hydrogen and the degree of thermionic emission from diamond and is information relevant to the development of higher thermal emission from diamond.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Dec 10, 2012
Source ID
10.1063/1.4772069

Entities

People

  • A. Steigerwald
  • J. L. Davidson
  • M. Howell
  • N. Tolk
  • W. F. Paxton
  • W. P. Kang

Organizations

  • Army Research Office
  • National Science Foundation
  • United States Department of Energy
  • Vanderbilt University

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Combustion science or combustion engineering.
  • Semiconductor Device Technology

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics